Republicans Want Rice, Santorum or Christie as VP Pick

CNN conducted a new poll and released the results today about the top preference for Republicans for a potential running mate for likely nominee Mitt Romney, whom pro-life groups have been supporting over the last two weeks.

Romney became a virtual lock for the nomination after his top opponent, pro-life former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, decided to leave the race last week and suspend his campaign. Naturally, Santorum is one of the top selections for GOP voters for Romney’s running mate but he doesn’t occupy the top spot.

Asked, “which one would you most like to see Mitt Romney choose as his vice presidential running mate if Romney wins the Republican presidential nomination?” Republican voters named pro-abortion former national security leader Condoleeza Rice, who worked in the Bush administration. Some 26 percent of Republicans picked the black Republican.

Another 21 percent of Republicans picked Santorum, and pro-life New Jersey Governor Chris Christe came in tied for third with pro-life Florida Sen. Marco Rubio with the support of 14 percent of GOP voters. The full breakdown follows:

CNN also surveyed Republicans as to whether they have a favorable view of the potential running mate or an unfavorable one. Rice again topped the list with the favorable views of 80 percent of Republicans while Santorum came second with 65 percent of GOP voters seeing him favorably. Results of that question appear below: